Detroit Tigers: Top Four Hall of Fame Snubs

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Alan Trammell (1977-1996)

Detroit Tigers fans have a soft spot for Trammell because of his heroics in the 1984 World Series, but he was an all-around great player during his 20-year career as well.

In the 1984 World Series, which remains the last championship Detroit has won, Trammell hit .450 with two home runs and six RBI. The Tigers beat the San Diego Padres in five games.

Trammell finished his career a .285 hitter with a .767 OPS. Those numbers aren’t too far away from Biggio, who hit .281 in his career and posted a .796 OPS. Trammell also made six All-Star teams and won four Gold Glove awards. Biggio is a seven-time All-Star and has four Gold Glove awards as well.

The biggest argument against Trammell is his mediocre career totals of 2,365 hits, 1,003 RBI, and 1,231 runs. Those numbers don’t scream Hall of Fame and aren’t that great for a 20-year career.

The fact Trammell played shortstop and was a clutch player, however, keeps him in the conversation. He has been on the ballot since 2002 and has never received higher than 36.8 percent of the vote. Trammell received just 25.1 percent of votes in 2015.

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Jack Morris (1977-1994)

The pinnacle of Morris’ career came when he won the 1991 World Series MVP while he was wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform, but Morris played 14 of his 18 seasons in Detroit.

His best season with the Tigers came in 1983 when he led the league with 293 2/3 innings and 232 strikeouts on his way to a 20-13 record. He also won 20 games in 1986 and 1992 with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Morris finished his career with a 254-186 record, 2,478 strikeouts and 3,824 innings. Morris is still ranked in the top 50 in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched. His 2,478 strikeouts is 18th of all-time.

Unfortunately, some writers have probably been reluctant to vote for Morris because of his 3.90 career ERA and due to the fact he never placed above third in the Cy Young voting. Still, Morris was the ace of three World Series champions in 1984, 1991 and 1992 with three different teams. That mustn’t be discounted.

Morris’ 15 years of eligibility, however, has already expired. The highest vote percentage he ever received was in 2013 with 67.7 percent. He will have to wait and see if the veteran’s committee will vote him in several years from now.

Courtesy of notinhalloffame.com

Bill Freehan (1961-1976)

Baseball fans probably don’t remember Freehan as well as Trammell and Morris, but Freehan has perhaps an even better Hall of Fame case.

Freehan was one of the best catchers of his era and often played opposite Johnny Bench in All-Star games. The Tigers catcher made 11 Mid-Summer Classics during his career.

His best offensive season came in 1964 when he hit .300 with 18 home runs and 80 RBI. Freehan hit 20 home runs for the first time in 1967 and then smashed a career-high 25 bombs in 1968. Freehan had another stellar offensive season in 1974, hitting .297 with 18 homers and 60 RBI.

Freehan, though, was known for his defense as he won five Gold Glove awards in 15 years. The catcher threw out an incredible 53 percent of would-be base stealers in 1964, which led the league. Freehan was also known for calling a great game behind the plate. For this reason, he finished second in MVP voting to his own teammate, Denny McLain, in 1968. McLain won 31 games that season.

Like Trammell and Morris, the biggest argument against Freehan is just his lack of accumulated stats. He hit .262 with 200 home runs and 758 RBI. Freehan had only 1,591 hits.

Still, it’s hard to see why a one of the best catchers of the 1960’s and 1970’s has been denied a Hall of Fame induction. Freehan will have to wait for the veteran’s committee to vote him in; he was on the ballot for only one year in 1982, receiving just 0.5 percent of the vote.

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Lou Whitaker (1977-1995)

From 1978-1995, Detroit Tigers fans had the luxury of watching Trammell and Lou Whitaker man the middle infield and boy was it a site to see.

Whitaker actually beat out Trammell for the Rookie of the Year award in 1978. The second baseman hit .285 with 22 extra-base hits, 58 RBI and 71 runs that season.

His best offensive year came in 1983 when he hit .320 with 12 home runs, 72 RBI and 94 runs. Whitaker also had 40 doubles and 17 stolen bases that year. From 1983-1987, it was hard to find a better second baseman in the American League. During that time frame, Whitaker made five straight All-Star Games, won four Silver Slugger awards and three Gold Glove awards.

But besides his Rookie of the Year award, Whitaker didn’t win anything else outside of those five seasons. He finished with a .276 average, 2,369 hits, 244 home runs, 1,084 RBI and 1,386 runs, but they were accumulated over a 19-year career.

The good news is Whitaker’s numbers are comparable to Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, who had 2,517 hits, 268 home runs, 1,133 RBI and 1,650 runs. Whitaker’s Hall of Fame case is certainly stronger with that comparison, but Morgan did steal 689 bases and won two MVP awards.

Whitaker will also have to wait for the veteran’s committee to vote him into the Hall of Fame. He was on the ballot one year in 2001 and received just 2.9 percent of the vote.

Next: Detroit Tigers Flavor Accents 2015 Hall of Fame Weekend